Abstract
Starting from an experimental activity, the paper describes research analysis that has been conducted on a real case construction with the aim to design its adaptation as a nearly zero energy building in three possible alternative scenarios: (i) a lab for students’ activities in the Lecco University Campus of Politecnico di Milano; (ii) an Alpine shelter for the implementation of a sustainable mountain tourism in Zermatt; (iii) an emergency shelter for poor communities in Burkina Faso. The use of an easily disassembled and lightweight steel structure coupled with dry-layered technologies allows a tailor-made envelope design, ensuring high thermal comfort, very low energy use, and limited construction times. The three case studies have been designed starting from the same architectural/structural concept. A detailed analysis, by means of finite element method and dynamic building thermal simulations, has been performed to predict the overall performances of each case study. The results show: (i) high replicability of the concept; (ii) high customization of the envelope technologies; (iii) high energy efficiency; and (iv) high thermal comfort of the architecture. The useful energy requirement in all the three analyzed scenarios is minimized and equal to 14.13, 23.88, and 41.83 kWh/m2 year, respectively, for the students’ lab, the Alpine shelter and the emergency shelter. According to this study the energy needs can be covered by renewable energy produced on site, making the architectural concept an interesting modular lightweight solution for a nearly zero energy building with high potential for replicability.
Highlights
The increasing awareness on climate changes and the latest EPBD recast 844/2018/UE [1] are stimulating new approaches in the building design process, renewable energies integration and their upcycle at the end-of-life through the concept of nearly zero energy buildings [2,3], which are the main stream quality in the architecture, engineering and construction industry
Since buildings must keep their efficiency over time, a long-term vision for building renovation must be designed [8,9]
The environmental impact of the building materials used arises at various stages of a building lifespan: construction, operation and demolition; for these reasons, designers should consider the overall resources efficiency [12]
Summary
The increasing awareness on climate changes and the latest EPBD recast 844/2018/UE [1] are stimulating new approaches in the building design process, renewable energies integration and their upcycle at the end-of-life through the concept of nearly zero energy buildings (nZEB) [2,3], which are the main stream quality in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. The approach has been applied with high success in several real cases, showing, on one hand the high potential of success, and on the other hand how the overall design process must be modified with respect to the actual construction practice [21,22] This DfD concept was first defined in the 1990s, but the general idea was introduced earlier with the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, built in London for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Following some of the ideas of Modernism, Richard Buckminster Fuller developed the idea of “dymaxion house”, as an example of a modular lightweight and high energy efficient construction Starting from this example, the concept has been in the latest years further developed showing several benefits, including easy repair or upgrade if needed to extend its useful life, recycling at the end of its life span and reuse in case of change in needs. Three possible configurations have been studied, starting from the same architectural design: Alpine Shelter, open lab and emergency shelter
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